


candy crush

by snowyjeno



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Candy Shop, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, cheesy jaemin, lots of (bad) candy puns, soft jeno, sweet nomin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 13:22:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20706695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowyjeno/pseuds/snowyjeno
Summary: Who knew that a simple exchange of salutations at a candy shop could lead into something so magnetic?





	candy crush

The line at Candy Paradise was moving at a sluggish pace, but Jeno was quick to dismiss that triviality when the young man in front of him turned around, immediately greeting Renjun.

"Renjun! Didn't know I'd be running into you here!" The boy greeted Renjun energetically, a smile effortlessly appearing on his face. 

"Jaemin? I didn't even see you, oh my god. I would've never guessed the first place we'd run into each other outside of the dorms would be a candy shop." Renjun returned a smile expressing familiarity.

"When you spoke to your friend, I recognized your voice. And you know me, my sweet tooth is chronic. I'm more surprised at the fact that _you're_ here, and with a friend on top of that."

Renjun chuckled good-naturedly, throwing an arm over Jeno's shoulder. "This guy right here insisted that I come with. If I hadn't, I would've been drinking tea right now instead. Candy is the much better deal for a Monday." Renjun glanced at Jeno.

"Ah, I'm forgetting to do the obvious. Jeno, this is Jaemin, my caffeine-powered roommate. Jaemin, this is Jeno, aka Mr. Calm and Simple." 

"Nice meeting you, Jeno." A warm smile spread across Jaemin's angelic features, and man, was he making quite the first impression on Jeno. Jaemin was cute, had a friendly demeanor _and_ a gorgeous smile.

"Nice meeting you too, Jaemin." Jeno presented his own soft smile.

"I didn't mean to take away from your and Renjun's quality bonding time," Jaemin teased, although it was directed towards Renjun. "Please, carry on your conversation. Pretend that I'm not even here."

"Gladly," Renjun remarked without missing a beat, accustomed to Jaemin's antics and teasing.

Jaemin openly laughed, his pearly whites gracing Jeno's eyes.

Before Jeno realized it, a small smile had found way on his face.

_His laugh is golden too_, Jeno thought.

___

English was Jeno’s least favorite subject, and it didn’t help that his English classes were at 8:30 AM. Jeno would much rather sleep in for a couple more hours, but he wouldn’t deny that being done with all of his classes earlier in the day felt nice and productive.

Jeno entered his first English class of the semester with twenty minutes to spare, the class still relatively empty and quiet. He found a window seat, placed his backpack down and started scrolling through Twitter on his phone. A few minutes later, Jaemin entered the classroom. He scanned the classroom, seeing Jeno at the same moment Jeno looked up. He cracked a bubbly smile instantly. Jeno returned the gesture.

Jaemin seated himself next to Jeno, arranging his belongings before turning towards him.

“Small world, huh?” Jaemin had a cheerful look on his face, one that Jeno couldn’t help but adore.

Jeno snorted good-naturedly. “Tell me about it.”

“Feels nice to have someone you can recognize right off the bat in a new class.”

“No kidding. Especially AM’s. And especially a class you don’t feel too hot about.”

“Ooo, is this class one of those?”

“Without a doubt. Always has been.”

“Fret not, for I shall be your partner in crime this semester. We can get through it together.”

Jeno raised an eyebrow teasingly, coupled with a disbelieving look that caused Jaemin to burst into laughter. 

“Give a guy a chance, will you? Jeez.” Jaemin’s smile was vibrant, a perfect contrast to the dull morning Jeno had had. 

“Of course,” Jeno softly replied.

“By the way, what’s your major? I’m an acting major.”

“Sounds like fun. I’m a dance major.”

“Bet you’ve got the moves like jagger,” Jaemin smoothly commented.

Jeno shyly smiled. “I wouldn’t say so,” he bashfully responded.

Donghyuck, Jeno’s roommate and Jaemin’s classmate during highschool, entered the classroom with his headphones equipped. He carefully peered throughout the classroom, locating Jeno and promptly sitting in the seat in front of him. He took his headphones off, placing them in his backpack before turning around and facing Jeno. He silently saluted Jeno with two fingers, Jeno returning the gesture with a full hand salute. Promptly afterwards, he gave Jaemin a half-ass greeting before requesting a piece of gum. 

“Forgot my pack at the dorms. This 8:30 shit is not it,” Donghyuck announced.

“You need something from me right upon seeing me over a year after highschool graduation.” Jaemin clicked his tongue.

Donghyuck just shrugged tiredly, the better of his wits and spontaneity absent due to his lack of sleep. Ten minutes into going over the syllabus, he was snoring lightly on the corner of his desk. Jeno did his best to pay attention to the various syllabus contents being dropped all at once, and Jaemin? Jaemin was ready to face the day.

___

A 2:30 PM math course is perfect, Jeno thought. He'd always have a chance to have lunch and would be able to complete an assignment or two before heading to class. Although math wasn’t his favorite course, it was nowhere near his worst subject. He’s never found math difficult and has always quickly learned how to solve problems.

Jeno found the math classroom with time to spare, allowing him to choose a seat to his liking. He’s surprised when soon enough, Jaemin shows up, a venti iced americano still mostly full occupying his hand. Jeno hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Jaemin after English ended, the latter briefly mentioning that his next class was a trek and that he’d need all the time he had to get there.

Jeno waved him over, this time grinning at Jaemin first. After Jaemin got settled, he took a lengthy sip of his <strike>venom</strike> drink before facing Jeno.

“You, _again_? Today must be my lucky day,” Jaemin remarked.

“Hmm, how so?”

Jaemin gulped before responding. Unexpectedly, he softly chuckled afterwards, the sound something Jeno hoped he’ll be able to hear again sooner than later.

“The odds of getting your friend in not one, but _two_ of your classes? During sophomore year? Unheard of.”

Jeno felt warmth spread throughout him after hearing Jaemin classify him as a friend.

“It helps that we met just yesterday.” Jeno grinned in a silly manner.

“No refuting that. Isn’t it odd? We met as strangers in a candy shop on the first Monday of the semester, completely oblivious to the fact that we’d end up like this? End up sharing classes.”

“It blows my mind, frankly. I figured you were someone I’d maybe see every once in a while, whenever Renjun would somehow be involved. I would’ve never guessed I’d be seeing you every Tuesday and Thursday for a semester straight.”

_I’m glad it turned out like this, though_.

“I have a feeling this semester’s gonna be a good one. It’s already too bizarre to not be.” 

Jeno laughed at that, his teeth on display as his eyes morphed into crescents. Jaemin’s face turned soft at the precious sight of Jeno smiling.

___

After Mr. Kim finished going over the syllabus and asking if anyone had any questions, Jaemin’s hand promptly shot up.

“How do I get an A in this class?”

The entire class was sent into light-hearted giggling, and Jeno smiled at Jaemin from the side of him, taking in the way the latter’s face lit up at the classroom’s momentary joy, caused by himself.

___

Thursday swiftly came by, and so did Jaemin's routine coffee habit.

He showed up to English with a grande iced americano, chewing on his lip before sitting down. His face was relatively neutral but the bags that were beginning to form beneath his eyes held the truth. Jeno wasn't faring a whole lot better, but he still felt sympathy towards Jaemin. College was rough.

"This week is a lot more tiring than I'd thought it'd be."

"That's harrowingly accurate. Thank god it's Thursday."

Donghyuck entered the classroom, popping pink bubblegum on the way to his seat, headphones plugged in. After sitting down, he turned around, blinked owlishly at Jeno twice, and then asked Jaemin, "What's cookin', good lookin'?"

Jaemin, unfazed, asked in a monotonous voice, "What do you want?"

"I compliment you and you choose to be hostile in return. You're quite the guy, aren't you?" Donghyuck grinned triumphantly.

Jaemin took a slow sip from his coffee before even acknowledging Donghyuck's statement. "You're compliments are, 99% of the time, either backhanded or a prelude to whatever it is that you wanna pimp out of someone. Which will it be this time?" Jaemin was the one to smirk this time, the sight something Jeno wasn't prepared for.

_Is a smirk like that even legal? Holy shit_.

"Oh _god_, please don't look at me like that. You look so creepy."

Jaemin burst out laughing, not seeming in any way injured by Donghyuck's words.

"I don't know if a class _clown_ should be making creepiness judgments."

Donghyuck scoffed. Before he could respond, Mr. Seo appeared, greeting the class enthusiastically. Donghyuck mouthed a generous "fuck you" to Jaemin before turning his attention around to the front.

"I'll pass on that one," Jaemin cheekily whispered.

___

By the time Jeno showed up to math, Jaemin was already seated, a pack of gummy bears in his hand and one in his mouth.

“Jeno,” Jaemin chirped.

“Mm?”

“Want a bear?” Jaemin held the pack out for Jeno.

“I’ll take one, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. I think you’re beary sweet.” Jaemin’s eyes were warm when Jeno looked into them. He felt a warmth blanket over his cheeks. He didn’t instantly respond, caught off guard by the pun and the fact that _Jaemin_ had said it. About him.

Jaemin, realizing Jeno became flustered, laughed lightly as he waved his packet of gummies around. “I was just playing with you. But you are beary sweet.”  
Jaemin had the guts to wink at Jeno, causing Jeno’s blush to deepen and become visible, clear as day. By this point, Jeno’s eyes were just short of being wide open; combined with the pretty pink tint of his cheeks, he looked like the image of someone whose crush just acknowledged their existence and had spoken to them for the first time, or someone that was just confessed to. Or like his boyfriend had just caused his heart to do flips and tumbles in his chest.

“You’re… blushing,” Jaemin said hesitantly, as though he weren’t the very cause for it. Jaemin looked surprised but not put off in even the slightest. If anything, it looked like he was trying to contain a smile before it bloomed onto his face unconsciously.

“Oh, really?” Jeno questioned, voice low, overly aware of the fact that his face was feeling hot and probably looked considerably flushed.

“Really,” Jaemin confirmed. After looking at Jeno for a few more seconds, he turned away, bringing a hand to loosely cover his mouth.

Jeno didn’t quite catch it, but Jaemin had turned bashful in that instant, butterflies doing loops in his stomach at the sight of a flushed Jeno. 

As it turned out, neither of them spoke to one another for the remainder of the class. Jeno didn’t know how Jaemin felt about him blushing over a pun, and Jaemin didn’t know Jeno would end up becoming flustered at something he, to be blunt, pulled out of his ass. At the end of class, Jaemin briefly broke the silence to say “bye, Jeno”, along with shooting him a charming smile. Jeno gave a far more timid smile than his usual smile as he softly said, “Bye, Jaemin.”

___

Four days passed before Jeno and Jaemin saw one another or spoke to one another. Come Tuesday and Jaemin had bounced back, the intel that he could easily fluster Jeno one he wanted to toy around with. Such intentions couldn’t be connected to any blossoming feelings he had towards Jeno, right?

“Would you like a SweeTart, sweetheart?” 

Jeno didn’t bother trying to hide the surprise he felt, blinking at Jaemin twice before asking, “What?” in a tone higher than he would’ve hoped. 

Jaemin grinned, his eyes narrowing the slightest and seemingly peering into Jeno’s very (weak) soul. “I said, ‘would you like a SweeTart, sweetheart?’” He rested his chin in his hand, expectantly awaiting Jeno’s response.

_He gets a rise out of me making myself look like a lovestruck fool, huh? He’s not getting the upper hand this time_.

“Not too crazy over those,” Jeno said, successfully keeping his tone even.

“Is there something else, then, that you’re crazy over?”

That did the trick. Jaemin was _surely_ insinuating that Jeno was crazy in love with him. How couldn’t he be? Na Jaemin, young CEO of Frisky Flirting Inc.

“Not in particular. You?” Jeno’s voice came out somewhat rough with the last word.

_I can become crazy over a boy like you_, Jaemin thought.

“Not at the moment.”

___

Thursday approached far too quickly, Jeno’s poor heart not getting the breaks it so craved. He had quickly drawn the conclusion that Jaemin was flirty by nature and found Jeno to be a fun and reactive target. However, the circumstances were set up such that it was neither fun for Jeno nor his heart, which was only falling for Jaemin harder and deeper as time passed on.

_Bury your feelings now before they become too strong and troublesome. Bury them now and save yourself_.

“What are you thinking about?” Jaemin’s voice startled Jeno, causing him to jump in his seat.

“Nothing much. Just trying to figure out when to do certain assignments so that I’m not drowning in them in a week’s time.”

“Organization is sexy, y’know?”

“Agreed. Structure is sexy.” Jeno enunciated the last word with an accent, causing both himself and Jaemin to laugh.

Jaemin popped some purple bubblegum as Donghyuck arrived, making it a point to be seen.

“What flavor is that?” Jeno curiously asked.

“Wildberry. I think it’d be berry sweet if you tried a piece.”

Donghyuck glanced between his two friends in interest. “Why do you have to contaminate Jeno with your playboy tendencies?” Donghyuck inquired, pretending to throw up.

“He seems to like it,” Jaemin bluntly stated.

Jeno's blush came on full force almost immediately. He looked between the two helplessly, his blush not willing to cooperate anytime soon with the way Jaemin seemed to be tracing Jeno's face with his eyes.

“Jeno?” Donghyuck called, prompting him to give a response.

“Let him be.”

“I… I don’t hate it. I don’t care about it, really.”

“Dude, you’re _blushing_. You’re not fucking lying when you say you don’t hate it. Jeno, hon, I can’t believe you fell prey to Na Jaemin’s shitshow. Please reconsider and find your way out.”

“Why is it of concern to you? Do you like Jeno?”

“_Fuck’s sake_, Jaemin-” Before Donghyuck could continue his thought, Mr. Seo interrupted him. “Is there anything you’d like to share with the class, Donghyuck?”

“I think not, professor.”

___

Come math and Jaemin came prepared with his coffee, his eyes already turning frenzied as his body broke down the caffeine.

“This,” Jaemin started, waving his cup of americano around, “is a lifesaver. Speaking of which, do you want one? I’ve got the orange and cherry flavors on me.”

“Do you secretly run a candy shop in your free time?”

“Sounds like fun, but no, I just have a weakness for candy." _And you_, Jaemin thought.

“Ahh. I have a weakness for cats.”

“You’re a cat person? That’s so cute! I’m personally a dog person but cat people are awesome.”

Jeno smiled at him endearingly. "You have taste."

___

Jeno found himself at a cozy café with Renjun and Jaemin on Saturday. It was Renjun's idea to hang out, wanting a chance to spend quality time with his friends before the workload of the semester began to pile up. Jaemin did Jeno the honor of sitting next to him in the booth, the latter feeling crowded by his mere presence more so than his proximity. In fact, Jaemin wasn’t crowding into Jeno's space at all.

Renjun nagged at Jaemin to try a drink different from his typical americano, and in turn, Jaemin had Renjun get a drink that wasn't his preferred tea. Jeno watched the scene unfold with silent amusement.

"So," Renjun began, in-between taking a bite of his cookie, "I heard you and Jaemin hit it off well."

Jeno softly laughed. "I think it would've been harder _not_ to, given his personality." He gave Jaemin a soft smile.

Renjun only appeared to be mildly surprised by Jeno's praise of Jaemin. 

"You sound like an old married husband recounting 'what started it all'". Renjun raised an eyebrow at Jeno, asking a silent question.

"You seem like you know what that's like," Jaemin coolly retorted.

Renjun snickered, chewing his cookie peacefully.

"Jeno, try this. It's so good," Jaemin declared, pushing his plate to the side to grant Jeno better access to the pastry. Jeno picked up his fork and took a tentative bite, his face morphing into one of pleasant surprise. "Wow, this tastes really good."

Jeno looked at Jaemin appreciatively. "Thanks, that was great."

"Be my guest and take another bite."

"No, no, really it's good, but it's yours. Enjoy it to the fullest."

"Sharing is caring."

"Caring is letting my friend eat his precious dessert."

"No, caring is sharing my precious dessert because I want to share the goodness that this dessert holds."

"Hear me out, you absolute _fools_. Instead of disgusting flirting disguised as friendliness and morals, why don't you geniuses just order a second one?" Renjun deadpanned.

"We're college students, Renjun. We can't afford shit."

"True that," Jeno (un)helpfully added on.

"I'm friends with a bunch of idiots," Renjun groaned.

Idiots on the path to love.

___

It became Jaemin’s part-time job to offer Jeno some form of candy, along with some form of pun or wordplay. One’s that resulted in Jeno’s cheeks reddening and heart rate increasing include (but not limited to): Jaemin waving around a KitKat while chirping “here, kitty, kitty, kitty”, cooing at Jeno afterwards, asking Jeno “can I interest you in a Kiss?” before pulling out a pack of Hershey’s Kisses, and asking Jeno “would you be the sweet toffee to my bitter coffee?”, tossing in puppy eyes into the mix.

Needless to say, Jaemin’s love was on fire and Jeno’s heart licked up every flame.

As the semester unfolded, August turned into September, and September leapt into October. Somewhere down the line, Donghyuck popped the question that led into an unforgettable conversation. 

Within the safety and secrecy of their dorms, Donghyuck had asked, “What do you think of Jaemin?”

Jeno couldn’t answer him right away, didn’t want to say that he thought “Jaemin is perfect”. That would essentially be revealing his feelings towards Jaemin, and that required a lot more courage and vulnerability than Jeno had.

Instead, he said, “Jaemin is ridiculously cute,” immediately regretting it when he realized his brain to mouth filter had betrayed him. Donghyuck’s face had instantaneously morphed into a shit eating grin, making his way over to Jeno’s bed and draping himself over the latter.

“Ha, I knew you liked guys. Dudes over boobs, amirite?” Donghyuck made a kissy face at Jeno, causing the latter to pull his head away. 

“I didn’t say I like him.” Jeno’s face was steadily growing warm, the telltale sign of an oncoming blush making it harder for him to remain calm.

“And Santa Claus is fucking real. Lee Jeno, you’re head over heels for Na Jaemin and you don’t want to admit to that. How are you supposed to get your man like this?” By this point, Donghyuck was simply holding Jeno, mischievous behaviors halted.

The tips of Jeno’s ears were the beginnings of crimson by the time he spoke. He swallowed nervously before questioning, “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way? What if I end up getting hurt?”

“Sometimes, you just have to take risks in life. We can’t win ‘em all, but we sure as hell don’t lose them all either. You know your heart and feelings towards Jaemin. If he’s what you want, if he makes you happy and makes your heart feel a thousand times lighter, don’t sit around and wait for someone else to sweep him off his feet. He can’t know what you feel unless you tell him.”

After several moments of silence, Jeno whispered, barely audible, “Thanks, Hyuck.”

___

Instead of confessing, Jeno continued to let whatever they had to build up. In his mind, he was sure of Jaemin. He just needed time to gather his bearings and let his hopes outshine his fears. Jeno was in no rush. He already had Jaemin by his side and that was sunny enough. The rest would unfold as it will, two hearts syncing up together and two boys falling deeply into one another.

___

On a lazy Sunday, Jeno and Jaemin got together in the library to complete an assignment and begin reviewing course material for a test on Tuesday. It didn’t take long for drowsiness to hit them, Jeno succumbing to sleep first. He rested his head on Jaemin’s shoulder before drifting off to sleep. After Jaemin picked up on light snoring from the other, he gently removed the few stray strands of hair resting on top of one of Jeno’s eyelids.

Jaemin soon gave in to his body’s need for sleep as well. He woke up sooner than Jeno, letting him continue to doze off on his shoulder for as long as he was able to.

___

“I probably seem like an airhead sometimes, but nothing in this head is airy when it comes to you,” Jaemin expressed, pulling out four Airheads flavors for Jeno to choose from. Jeno picked one before interlacing his fingers with Jaemin’s, fondness blooming across his features.

“You’re sweeter than any candy you’ve ever brought me.”

Jaemin’s face lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July.

___

"Come to the park with me tomorrow," Jaemin said.

_There's something I have to tell you_.

Jeno and Jaemin were in the latter's dorm, taking up the space on his bed. Jeno was resting his head on Jaemin's lap as the latter slowly stroked through his hair. Jeno hummed in agreement, not thinking much of it but also content to simply spend time with Jaemin. He repositioned himself, getting up and throwing himself on top off Jaemin, causing Jaemin to fall flat on his back. He curled up on Jaemin's chest, the latter bringing an arm to wrap around Jeno's waist without hesitance.

___

November's temperatures meant Jeno showed up to the park wearing a black hoodie and black mittens, a small cat print on the back of the mittens. Jaemin wore a gray cardigan and white shirt along with a thermal underneath, complemented with denim jeans.

Jaemin interlaced his fingers with Jeno's upon greeting him, expressing that, "Maybe a stroll through the park in November wasn't the brightest idea."

Jeno chuckled, hand in hand with Jaemin as they began to walk.

“I’ll make this quick so that we can grab some hot choco afterwards.” Jaemin pulled out a Milky Way bar from some compartment of his clothes, gingerly holding it out for Jeno.

“Would you allow me the honor of making you my galaxy and go out on a date with me? Don’t worry, the hot choco doesn’t count.” Jaemin’s smile was sunshine pleasantly blanketing itself over Jeno as he awaited his response. 

Jeno’s heart jumped through his chest as he swiftly took the chocolate, immediately pulling Jaemin into an embrace. “Of course I will, Jaemin.” Jaemin hugged him back even tighter, his smile blinding.

**Author's Note:**

> heya! it's been several months since i wrote my last fic (8 months to be exact, whew!), and so quality wise i'm not sure how this went. i did have a lot of fun writing this piece, and i hope you readers had some fun in reading it as well ♡


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